GKMP Architects – Dezeenhttps://www.dezeen.com
architecture and design magazineSat, 10 Dec 2016 00:00:00 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.6.1GKMP Architects uses pebbledash, brick and slate for Dublin house extensionhttps://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/11/gkmp-architects-pebbledash-janus-house-1930s-extension-dublin-ireland/
https://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/11/gkmp-architects-pebbledash-janus-house-1930s-extension-dublin-ireland/#commentsSun, 10 Apr 2016 23:00:58 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=880075GKMP Architects has extended a 1930s residence in Dublin, Ireland, using the same material palette – which even includes pebbledash. The Dublin-based architects designed the extension to wrap the side and back of Janus House, a semi-detached residence located in the city's Sandymount suburb. They selected materials that would match the those used in the existing house, using red brick, pebbledash

The extension hosts a sitting room arranged around a new fireplace, a kitchen and sky-lit dining room with improved access to the back garden through bi-folding glass doors.

The architects also reorganised the plan of the existing house. They moved the staircase to optimise the new layout and added a new skylight above it to help bring natural light down into the centre of the home.

"When we purchased our 1930s house, we knew that a lot of imagination would be required to convert it into the home that we desired," said the clients.

"Behind the front door is a spacious home with light pouring in from every angle and surprises around every corner," they added. "We decided to maintain certain features from the 1930s structure but the extension to the house is thoroughly modern."

Architects Grace Keeley and Michael Pike set up GKMP Architects in Barcelona in 2003 before relocating to Dublin in 2004.

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/11/gkmp-architects-pebbledash-janus-house-1930s-extension-dublin-ireland/feed/1House in Wexford by GKMP Architects features a pyramid-shaped roofhttps://www.dezeen.com/2015/11/23/house-wexford-gkmp-architects-pyramid-shaped-roof-ireland/
https://www.dezeen.com/2015/11/23/house-wexford-gkmp-architects-pyramid-shaped-roof-ireland/#commentsMon, 23 Nov 2015 08:00:28 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=805867Dublin studio GKMP Architects added a pyramid-shaped roof to this compact house in rural Ireland to create some taller rooms inside. House in Wexford was designed by GKMP Architects for a couple with three young children, who relocated from an urban apartment to the rural location in Wexford County on Ireland's south-east coast. Occupying a large site that was previously

]]>Dublin studio GKMP Architects added a pyramid-shaped roof to this compact house in rural Ireland to create some taller rooms inside.

House in Wexford was designed by GKMP Architects for a couple with three young children, who relocated from an urban apartment to the rural location in Wexford County on Ireland's south-east coast.

Occupying a large site that was previously farmland, it features lime-rendered walls and a pitched roof covered in slate to fit in with the local style.

"We wanted the house to have a simple form that recalled the vernacular architecture in the area," architect Michael Pike told Dezeen. "We did not want it to stand out or appear unnatural in the landscape."

The four-bedroom house, which has a 200-square-metre footprint, was also designed to "take pleasure in its compactness," according to Pike.

"We have deliberately sought to enclose the biggest volume in the smallest surface, and to recognise the formal virtue in this intrinsic economy," he said.

"If the plan is too spread out, the spaces tend to feel separate from each other. We enjoy the sense of close proximity and overlap that comes from making it compact."

To save space inside, the layout was designed without corridors. The ground floor has three bedrooms at the side, and an open-plan kitchen, dining room, living room and playroom, which all open onto each other.

These rooms are arranged around a central staircase, which leads up to a guest bedroom and study set into the roof's apex.

"We wanted to create a relaxed, free-flowing arrangement of spaces. It allows for different ways of moving around the house, which makes it feel more generous," said Pike.

The roof rises nearly three and a half metres from the eaves to the apex, and offers an internal height of six metres.

It is supported by four glulam beams – made from layers of timber stuck together to provide increased strength – which span up to 12 metres and rest on the external blockwork walls.

"This internal height was critical to give a sense of volume and generosity to the living space," said Pike.

"The entrance hall is deliberately low, at 2.25 metres, and then there is a real sense of release when you enter the living room. There is an enjoyment that comes from spaces that expand and contract – it creates diversity and interest throughout the house."

Slight level changes on the ground floor follow the slope of the land and create subtle divisions between the spaces, with the living room set two steps lower than the kitchen and dining area.

"We wanted to exploit the natural slope of the site," said Pike. "The changes in level help to differentiate the spaces, and also make the interior feel more like a part of the landscape."

Walls inside are lined with birch-faced plywood, chosen for its light appearance and affordability, and polished concrete provides the flooring.

"The concrete floor is easy to maintain and similar to the changes in levels, it gives the interior a sense of exteriority, making it feel more like a part of the landscape," said Pike.

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2015/11/23/house-wexford-gkmp-architects-pyramid-shaped-roof-ireland/feed/4Glazed house extension by GKMP Architects "feels like part of the garden"https://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/14/gkmp-architects-glazed-house-extension-ormond-road-dublin/
https://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/14/gkmp-architects-glazed-house-extension-ormond-road-dublin/#commentsSat, 14 Mar 2015 12:00:59 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=661076A living room is contained within this glazed extension to a period property in Dublin, forming a transparent connection between the existing building and its garden. Dublin office GKMP Architects – whose previous work includes an angular house extension clad in white glazed tiles and another covered in tiles that resemble brickwork – designed the extension to create more practical

The owners asked the architects to remodel the ground floor area of an annex that projects from the property's rear facade to accommodate a new kitchen, utility room and storage space.

In addition, a new glazed living room was added between the main building and a granite terrace that is used for outside dining.

"We wanted to make the room feel like part of the garden," architect Michael Pike told Dezeen. "The extension is as light and transparent as possible to create this sense, as well as visually connecting the new courtyard with the garden beyond."

Full-height sliding doors set in aluminium frames help to achieve the required feeling of transparency within the new open-plan living and dining area.

The extensive use of glass also creates a contrast with the solid mass and more enclosed rooms of the original building.

"The extension is light and contemporary, and is deliberately contrasted with the solidity of the existing period house," said Pike.

Two structural concrete beams are positioned inside the glazing on either side of the extension to support the roof. This arrangement helps create the illusion of a thin roof from outside, enhanced by extending the aluminium frames up to the level of the coping.

Despite a height of 3.28 metres, the architects were intent on making the frames as thin as possible to emphasise the lightness of the structure.

A skylight inserted into the ceiling between the existing house and the extension brightens this space and marks the transition from the old building to the new addition. Fitted storage also runs along the boundary wall.

A wood-burning stove on the end wall of the extension is flanked by a desk on one side and log store on the other.

Book shelves that reach up to the height of the ceiling have also been created, and are located in the alcoves.

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2015/03/14/gkmp-architects-glazed-house-extension-ormond-road-dublin/feed/3Tile-covered walls reflect light into Dublin house extension by GKMP Architectshttps://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/22/greenlea-road-house-extension-dublin-gkmp-architects/
https://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/22/greenlea-road-house-extension-dublin-gkmp-architects/#commentsSat, 22 Mar 2014 06:00:06 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=430954Irish studio GKMP Architects added glazed white tiles to the angular walls of this extension to a semi-detached house in Dublin to help direct sunlight into the interior (+ slideshow). GKMP Architects designed the Greenlea Road extension for the home of a family of five, who wanted a large, bright living area that improves the

]]>Irish studio GKMP Architects added glazed white tiles to the angular walls of this extension to a semi-detached house in Dublin to help direct sunlight into the interior (+ slideshow).

GKMP Architects designed the Greenlea Road extension for the home of a family of five, who wanted a large, bright living area that improves the connection between the house and the garden.

"The old layout included a dining room and garage extension to the west of the ground floor, which cut evening light to the interior and enclosed the kitchen within the plan, blocking light and access to the garden," architect Michael Pike told Dezeen.

The existing extension built in the 1990s was demolished to make room for the new addition, which contains an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area filled with light from the windows and a central skylight.

The shape of the walls and the shiny surfaces of the glazed tiles surrounding the doors and windows help funnel daylight into the extension.

"The tiles were used for the texture they bring to a facade and for their ability to bounce light into the interior to brighten the terrace and garden spaces," explained Pike.

GKMP Architects used terracotta tiles that resemble brickwork to clad another extension in Dublin. Tiles are well-suited for use as a practical and decorative exterior finish said Michael Pike.

"Ceramic tiles are a very traditional material however they are not widely used externally in Ireland," Pike pointed out. "We use the tiles as a cladding to bring texture and warmth to a facade and also to highlight or draw attention to certain details."

Door and window frames made from iroko wood stand out against the white ceramic tiles, but also contrast with green tiles that surround some of the windows and cover a low planter that extends towards the garden.

Model - click for larger image

A skylight lined with plywood introduces more light into the interior, while a polished concrete floor used throughout the ground floor helps to reflect it around the space.

Sketch - click for larger image

The kitchen features a cast concrete countertop that complements the floor and contrasts with the natural surfaces of the birch plywood benches and cabinetry. There is also a store room, utility room and shower room that continues around the corner of the house.

This project involves the demolition of a 1990s extension and shed to the rear of a semi-detached suburban house in Dublin, Ireland and the construction of a new single storey extension to the side and rear extending to 31sq.m. A new plywood kitchen and dining space open out to receive west light and connect to the back garden.

Floor plan - click for larger image

White glazed tiles bring texture to the facade and bounce light into the interior and onto the new polished concrete floor, whilst the cast concrete countertop then continues the language of the floor into the new plywood kitchen.

Section - click for larger image

New windows are made from Iroko timber and green ceramic tiles are used to highlight certain window openings. The green tile is also used to draw attention and add scale to the washed concrete terrace. A large planter, clad also in green, seeks to bring the garden right up to the dining room window. Inside, a large, plywood-lined skylight marks the transition between old and new construction and serves to bring light into the centre of the living space.

]]>https://www.dezeen.com/2014/03/22/greenlea-road-house-extension-dublin-gkmp-architects/feed/1House extension by GKMP Architects includes a wooden window seathttps://www.dezeen.com/2014/02/23/house-extension-by-gkmp-architects-includes-a-wooden-window-seat/
https://www.dezeen.com/2014/02/23/house-extension-by-gkmp-architects-includes-a-wooden-window-seat/#commentsSun, 23 Feb 2014 17:00:47 +0000http://admin.dezeen.com/?p=419551Dublin practice GKMP Architects has added two tiny extensions to a nineteenth century terraced house in the city, one of which incorporates a wooden window seat looking out onto the garden. GKMP Architects was asked to renovate and extend the three-storey house in the south of Dublin by replacing an existing bedroom and scullery with

Dublin practice GKMP Architects has added two tiny extensions to a nineteenth century terraced house in the city, one of which incorporates a wooden window seat looking out onto the garden.

GKMP Architects was asked to renovate and extend the three-storey house in the south of Dublin by replacing an existing bedroom and scullery with an enlarged kitchen, dining room and play room.

Instead of adding an extensive new structure that would have imposed on the garden at the rear of the property, the architects proposed two single-storey extensions with a total footprint of just seven square metres.

"The main architectural problem we identified with the existing house was the great disproportion between living and sleeping areas," architect Jennifer O'Donnell told Dezeen.

"Since the existing area of the house was considered sufficient to meet the needs of the family, we decided that the challenge in this case was to build as little as possible, to the greatest possible effect," the architect added.

The new additions are constructed from concrete, which O'Donnell said "was chosen to act as a contemporary addition to the hard cement render of the existing rear facade."

Bright blue tiles introduce a hit of colour and are used for the surface of a bench built into the concrete of the extension closest to the garden.

"The glazed Italian ceramic tiles were chosen in consultation with the clients and are used as a lining in those places where the wall thickens to form a seat or sill," O'Donnell explained.

The tiles also appear inside the playroom, which adjoins the new kitchen and dining area and features windows that wrap around two sides.

A corner bench with upholstered sofa cushions is fitted below the windows, while new glazed double doors lead from this room out to the garden.

Both of the new extensions feature large skylights that introduce natural light into the open-plan lower ground floor.

The window seat in the dining area is built from iroko wood, which contrasts with the pale interior walls and frames views of the garden.

The architects also added an oak staircase to connect the new kitchen with an existing living room on the upper ground floor and a new den on the first floor.

The staircase is lined on one side with a bookcase and wraps around a utility room tucked away in an otherwise dark and redundant space at the centre of the house.

This project involves the restoration and extension of a three-storey terrace house built towards the end of the 19th century, which has a red clay brick finish in a Flemish bond to the front elevation and a hard cement render finish to the rear. It is one of 6 identical terraced houses, grouped in handed pairs and with identical roof lines, eaves and architectural treatment both to the front and rear.

The existing layout of this house did not lend itself to providing kitchen/dining/living space that was proportional to the rest of the accommodation and so it was proposed to address this imbalance through modifications and a small addition to the existing house rather than through building a large extension in the rear garden.

The new addition consists of two small single-storey extensions, one to the rear of the main part of the house and the other to the end of the existing return on the footprint of the existing lean-to kitchen, that open the lower ground floor of the house to the garden. The new-build is made of cast in-situ concrete with blue glazed tiles.

Inside, a large corner window brings light into the play-room, while a new oak stairs forms a second, more direct connection between ground and first floor living spaces. A new utility space is built into the dark central section of the house, with the new stairway wrapping around and above it as a discrete element, hidden between the old house walls.